Ben and I continued reading about the Mexican American war, which began in 1846 when Polk was president. Polk argued that a disputed region of land was American land, while Mexico argued that the US army was making hostile moves. We found it interesting to learn that Lincoln actually thought that Polk had deliberately provoked Mexico and asked him identify the exact spot he claimed that American blood had been spilled. Many Americans therefore called the war 'Polk's War.' We also read about the Treaty of Guadelupe Hildalgo, which ended the war and how many Americans followed the California Trail as they fled to the southwest. Ben was not surprised to learn that the US government yet again denied land grants initially promised to the Indigenous peoples. Over time, however, Mexican, Indigenous, and Anglo cultures mixed, which formed the distinct heritage of the American Southwest.